Solar sailing

An introduction to solar sailing is presented. The physical principles are briefly reviewed along with an introduction to the historical context of solar sailing. Potential solar sail configurations are briefly introduced, while placing these in the context of the current hardware development programmes. Following the introduction to solar sailing we progress onto a discussion of solar sail orbital dynamics in a planet-centred environment. The development of solar sail trajectory generation is presented, from Earth escape trajectories through to lunar fly-by trajectories and more accurate Earth escape methods. Much of this work relies on assumptions to generate near-optimal solutions rather than true globally optimal solutions, which are computationally difficult to determine for multiple revolution trajectories. Many of these traditional planet-centred solar sail applications, such as Earth escape, also require rapid attitude slew manoeuvres to achieve. This first lecture is based on theory development and application with a view towards future missions, such as planetary sample return

Exogenous Plant-Based Nutraceutical Supplementation and Peripheral Cell Mononuclear DNA Damage Following High Intensity Exercise

Plant-based nutraceuticals are categorised as nutritional supplements which contain a high concentration of antioxidants with the intention of minimising the deleterious effect of an oxidative insult. The primary aim of this novel study was to determine the effect of exogenous barley-wheat grass juice (BWJ) on indices of exercise-induced oxidative stress. Ten (n = 10) apparently healthy, recreationally trained (V̇O2max 55.9 ± 6 mL·kg−1·min−1), males (age 22 ± 2 years, height 181 ± 6 cm, weight 87 ± 8 kg, body mass index (BMI) 27 ± 1) volunteered to participant in the study. In a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover design, participants consumed either a placebo, a low dose (70 mL per day) of BWJ, or a high dose (140 mL per day) of BWJ for 7-days. Experimental exercise consisted of a standard maximal oxygen uptake test until volitional fatigue. DNA damage, as assessed by the single cell gel electrophoresis comet assay, increased following high intensity exercise across all groups (time × group; p < 0.05, Effect Size (ES) = 0.7), although there was no selective difference for intervention (p > 0.05). There was a main effect for time in lipid hydroperoxide concentration (pooled-group data, pre- vs. post-exercise, p < 0.05, ES = 0.2) demonstrating that exercise increased lipid peroxidation. Superoxide dismutase activity (SOD) increased by 44.7% following BWJ supplementation (pooled group data, pre- vs. post). The ascorbyl free radical (p < 0.05, ES = 0.26), α-tocopherol (p = 0.007, ES = 0.2), and xanthophyll (p = 0.000, ES = 0.5), increased between the pre- and post-exercise time points indicating a main effect of time. This study illustrates that a 7-day supplementation period of a novel plant-derived nutraceutical product is insufficient at attenuating exercise-induced oxidative damage. It is possible that with a larger sample size, and longer supplementation period, this novel plant-based nutraceutical could potentially offer effective prophylaxis against exercise-induced oxidative stress; as such, this justifies the need for further research

Monitoring carbon in electron and ion beam deposition within FIB-SEM

It is well known that carbon present in scanning electron microscopes (SEM), Focused ion beam (FIB) systems and FIB-SEMs, causes imaging artefacts and influences the quality of TEM lamellae or structures fabricated in FIB-SEMs. The severity of such effects depends not only on the quantity of carbon present but also on its bonding state. Despite this, the presence of carbon and its bonding state is not regularly monitored in FIB-SEMs. Here we demonstrated that Secondary Electron Hyperspectral Imaging (SEHI) can be implemented in different FIB-SEMs (ThermoFisher Helios G4-CXe PFIB and Helios Nanolab G3 UC) and used to observe carbon built up/removal and bonding changes resulting from electron/ion beam exposure. As well as the ability to monitor, this study also showed the capability of Plasma FIB Xe exposure to remove carbon contamination from the surface of a Ti6246 alloy without the requirement of chemical surface treatments

Depression and anxiety symptoms at TNF inhibitor initiation are associated with impaired treatment response in axial spondyloarthritis

Acknowledgment We are grateful to Professor Gary Macfarlane for commenting on the manuscript. We are grateful to the staff of the BSRBR-AS register and to the recruiting staff at the clinical centres, details of which are available at: www.abdn.ac.uk/bsrbr-as. We also thank Dr Lewis Carpenter for suggesting splines for modelling time. Contribution: SSZ analysed the data and wrote the manuscript with significant input from all co- authors. GTJ is the Deputy Chief Investigator on BSRBR-AS and designed the study and oversaw its conduct. In the current project they discussed results and provided input into drafts of the manuscript. Funding: The BSRBR-AS is funded by the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) who have received funding for this from Pfizer, AbbVie and UCB. These companies receive advance copies of manuscripts for comments. They have no input in determining the topics for analysis or work involved in undertaking it.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Comorbidity and response to TNF inhibitors in axial spondyloarthritis : longitudinal analysis of the BSRBR-AS

Acknowledgements: Funding: The BSRBR-AS is funded by the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) who have received funding for this from Pfizer, AbbVie and UCB. These companies receive advance copies of manuscripts for comments. They have no input in determining the topics for analysis or work involved in undertaking it. Disclosures: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Contribution: SSZ analysed the data and wrote the manuscript, with significant input from all coauthors. GJM and GTJ are Chief Investigator and Deputy Chief Investigator respectively on BSRBR-AS and designed the study and oversaw its conduct. In the current project they discussed results and provided input into drafts of the manuscript. Data availability: Data from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register for Ankylosing Spondylitis are available to external investigators, on reasonable request. For information on how to access data, see: http://www.rheumatology.org.uk. We are grateful to the staff of the BSRBR-AS register and to the recruiting staff at the clinical centres, details of which are available at: www.abdn.ac.uk/bsrbr-asPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Making tea: a human centred approach to designing a pervasive smart lab notebook

The methodology used to design a useful and workable laboratory electronic notebook is described along with some of the technology needed to implement the smart lab systems

Amperometric Screen-Printed Galactose Biosensor for Cell Toxicity Applications

© 2016, Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. ABSTRACT: This paper reports the development and application of a biosensor for the amperometric determination of galactose in the presence of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells with and without a hepatotoxic agent. The biosensor was fabricated by drop-coating 1.5% cellulose acetate on a 3×3mm screen-printed carbon electrode followed by depositing 2 U of galactose oxidase. The electrodes dimensions were reduced to 3×0.5mm before measurements. Hepatocellular carcinoma cells were utilized for in vitro toxicity testing by evaluating the effect of paracetamol on galactose uptake. The amperometric responses to galactose indicated that the inhibition of uptake was directly proportional to the concentration of paracetamol following 24h of exposure to the hepatocellular carcinoma cells. These results demonstrate that the fabricated biosensor may be used for the real-time monitoring of cell metabolism and toxicity

Association between comorbidities and disease activity in axial spondyloarthritis : results from the BSRBR-AS

Funding: The BSRBR-AS is funded by the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) who have received funding for this from Pfizer, AbbVie and UCB. These companies receive advance copies of manuscripts for comments. They have no input in determining the topics for analysis or work involved in undertaking it. We are grateful to the staff of the BSRBR-AS register and to the recruiting staff at the clinical centres, details of which are available at: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bsrbr-as S.S.Z. analysed the data and wrote the manuscript, with significant input from all co-authors. G.J.M. and G.T.J. are Chief Investigator and Deputy Chief Investigator, respectively, on BSRBR-AS and designed the study and oversaw its conduct. In the current project they discussed results and provided input into drafts of the manuscript. Disclosure statement: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Electrical, photoelectrical and morphological properties of ZnO nanowire networks grown on SiO2 and on Si

ZnO nanofibre networks (NFNs) were grown by vapour transport method on Si-based substrates. One type of substrate was SiO2 thermally grown on Si and another consisted of a Si wafer onto which Si nanowires (NWs) had been grown having Au nanoparticles catalysts. The ZnO-NFN morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy on samples grown at 600 °C and 720 °C substrate temperature, while an focused ion beam was used to study the ZnO NFN/Si NWs/Si and ZnO NFN/SiO2 interfaces. Photoluminescence, electrical conductance and photoconductance of ZnO-NFN was studied for the sample grown on SiO2. The photoluminescence spectra show strong peaks due to exciton recombination and lattice defects. The ZnO-NFN presents quasi-persistent photoconductivity effects and ohmic I-V characteristics which become nonlinear and hysteretic as the applied voltage is increased. The electrical conductance as a function of temperature can be described by a modified three dimensional variable hopping model with nanometer-ranged typical hopping distances